Stoker mechanism



Sept. 21, 1937. .c. J. SURDY swoxnnhscmmsm 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec.12, 1934 INVENTOR C/zar/emjfiarqy ATTORNEY Sept. 21, 1937.

c. .I SURDY STOKER MECHANISM Filed Dec. 12, 1954 Z SheetS-Sheet 2INVENTOR CYzar/az J 621/039 ATTORN EY Patented Sept. 21, 1937 UNITEDSTATES PATENT QFHQE.

STOKER MECHANISM (1922) of Delaware Application December 12, 1934,Serial No. 757,127

1 Claim.

vision of an improved arrangement of such separated conveyors and animproved drive arrangement for imparting motion to the conveyors from acommon source of power.

A more specific object of my invention is .to provide a novel drivemeans for stokers of the type above described wherein the fueltransferring and elevating conveyors are driven by a gear train at therear of the fuel transferring conveyor, the drive means for theelevating conveyor including a shaft leading forwardly from such geartrain and being operatively connected to the elevating conveyor inanovel and highly efficient manner.

Other objects and advantages, such as the particular construction ofparts and their relation one a with another will be apparent as thefollowing description is read in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a vertical medial section through adjacent portions of alocomotive and tender showing the invention in side elevation withportions broken away;

Figure 2 is a plan view of Figure 1 taken on the irregular line 2-2thereof with parts broken away;

Figures 3 and 4 are sectional views taken on i the lines 3--3 and 44,respectively, of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a sectional View taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 3; and

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 66 of Figure 2.

On these drawings the numeral l0 designates a locomotive having afirebox II provided with a rear wall l2 in which there is the usualfiring opening I3. The tender I4 is at the rear of the locomotive and itis connected thereto by a coupling l5 which permits the two vehicles toround curves or pass switches and turntables. Above the tender deck [6is a fuel bin I! from which fuel is supplied into the stoker mechanism Sthrough the central aperture l8 in the deck IS, the size of the aperturebeing regulated by shiftable plates 19.

Beneath the tender deck or floor It is a compartment 20 in which isrigidly mounted upon the frame 2| of the tender a rear or trough conduit22 of the stoker mechanism S. The forward end of the trough conduit 22terminates in an extension 23 forming a hollow spherical shell which isreceived in a spherical portion 24 formed with the rear tubular section2'5 of the intermediate conduit 2B. The front tubular section 27 of thisconduit telescopes with the rear section and carries at its forward enda spherical ball 28.

This spherical ball 28 is received in a seat 29 which is offsetlaterally to one side of the lower end of the elevator conduit 30. Atits upper end, the elevator conduit communicates with the firing openingit and delivers fuel to a distributing means 3! which spreads the fuelover the firebed. Aclamp32 retains the spherical ball 28 and forms,together with the seat '29, a ball and socket joint 33. Connecting thelower end of the elevator conduit 3b with the spherical seat 29 is acurved elbow 3d, forming a short passage between the forward end of theintermediate conduit 26 and the elevator conduit 3t, and through whichpassage the coal is urged by an intermediate conveyor screw 35 withinthe conduit onto the flights of the elevator screw 36.

Within the hollow spherical shell or extension 23 the intermediateconveyor screw 35 is connected by a universal joint 3'! to a, rearconveyor screw 28 (Figure 2) which is disposed within the trough conduit22. p

Fuel which drops into the trough conduit 22 from the bin ll is urgedforwardly by the conveyor screw 38 which cooperates with a toothedcrusher 39 to reduce over-sized lumps of fuel to a size more suitablefor efficient firing. The crushed fuel is then conveyed forwardlythrough the intermediate conduit by theconveyor screw therein; thislatter screw urges the fuel upwardly and laterally through the curvedelbow 34 onto the flights of the elevating screw 36 for delivery to thedistributing means SH.

Foreign material will occasionally lodge between the rear conveyor screw38 and the toothed crusher 39, causing the entire stoker mechanism tostall. Suitable provision is made in the stoker conduits and the drivemeans of the conveyor and elevating screw so that fuel may be deliveredto the distributing means by the elevator screw during theseemergencies.

The drive means for the conveyor and elevator screw includes a primemover 49, which through suitable shafting H transmits power to a geartrain 42 housed within a casing 43 at the rear of the trough conduit 22.The gear train 42 comprises a pinion 45 (Figure 2) which is driven bythe shafting M and meshes with a gear 46 loosely mounted upon a shaft 41which is operatively connected with the rear conveyor screw 38. To thehub 48 of the gear 45 is keyed a gear 49 which meshes with another gear50 for rotating a stub shaft 5| journalled in the gear casing 43. Clutchteeth 52 are formed at one side of the gear 36 and they are arranged tobe engaged by teeth 53 of a clutch member 54. The clutch member 54 ismounted on the polygonal portion 41a of the shaft 47 and is slidabletherealong by a yoke 55 which is mounted on an operating rod 56.

Underneath the trough conduit 22 and substantially central thereof is ashaft 5'! having a universal connection 58 at its rearward end with thestub shaft 5!. At its forward end the shaft 51 is journalled in abearing 59 and is connected by a universal joint 60 to an extensible andcon tractible shaft 6!. The shaft El comprises the rearward section 62which is telescopic within the forward portion 63, the latter beingconnected to the elevator screw 36 by a universal joint 64.

During the normal operation of the stoker mechanism, the clutch member54 is in a position so that its teeth 53 engage the teeth 52 of the gear46, whereby this gear may be connected in driving relation with theshaft 4'! for operating the rear conveyor screw 38 and its connectedintermediate conveyor screw 35. The elevator screw 38 is operated by theshaft 51 and the extensible and contractible shaft 6|. Should foreignmaterial in the trough conduit 22 stall the en tire stoker mechanism,the fireman moves the clutch member 54 to the position as shown inFigure 6 whereby the rear conveyor screw 38 and its connectedintermediate screw 35 become disconnected from operative relation withthe gear train 42. 'The gear train 42 continues to operate the gears 49,50 and the shafts 51, 6| continueoperation of the elevator screw 36.

Fuel may be supplied manually into the elevator conduit 30 by raisingthe hinged cover 65 which is over the hopper 66 at the lower end of theelevator conduit. By offsetting lamrally the adjacent ends of theintermediate and elevator conduits, only the elevator screw 36 need beoperated during such emergencies, and this will consume less powerwithout unnecessarily wearing other stoker parts.

It will be observed from the drawings that the universal joints 60, 64of the extensible and contractible shaft 6| are approximately incoincidence with the centers or axes of articulation of the telescopicintermediate conduit 26, and also that the length of the shaft 6| isapproximately equal to the length of the intermediate conduit. By thisassociation of parts, a compact relation may be attained between thisshaft and conduit, and this relation is such that there is very littleif any relative movement between the conduit and shaft; this permits theparts to be maintained in a close relation, which will not interferewith other locomotive and tender aceessories.

I claim:

In combination with a locomotive having a firebox and a tender providedwith a, fuel bin, stoker mechanism for transferring fuel from said binto the locomotive comprising a conveyor rigidly mounted on the tenderand disposed along the vertical medial plane thereof to receive fuelfrom said bin, a conveyor on the locomotive disposed along the verticalmedial plane thereof and communicating with said firebox, anintermediate conveyor between said named conveyors at its rearward endflexibly connected to the forward end of said first named conveyor, saidintermediate conveyor at its forward end being laterally offset from therearward end of said second named conveyor and flexibly relatedtherewith,

such laterally offset end of said intermediate-- conveyor being disposedat one side of the vertical medial plane of the locomotive and tender,and drive means for said conveyors including a gear train at the rear ofsaid first named conveyor and arranged to be operatively connectedthereto and the connected intermediate conveyor, shafting leadingforwardly from said gear train for driving the second named conveyer,said shafting being flexibly connected in axial relation with saidsecond named conveyor at one side of a portion of the intermediateconveyor and below the axis thereof, and a drive motor operativelyconnected with said gearing and being disposed at the side of thevertical medial plane of the locomotive and tender opposite thelaterally offset end of said intermediate conveyor.

CHARLES J. SURDY.

